grows in the ears that nature feemed to have formed 

 for wheat, and (as in fmut) I have feen ears which 

 contained part cockel and part wheat ; may not this 

 pofTibly proceed from an imperfed generation ? I 

 never knew, or heard it aflerted, that ear cockel (as 

 it is called) was ever found amongft wheat, where 

 it was not obfcrved in the feed before fowings that 

 it grew fpontaneoufly, or was caufed by ^n untoward 

 feafon. It is a fmall, nearly black berry, about die 

 fize of a fmut ball, the flour is greyifli j that part of 

 the ear which contains them, I am informed, does 

 not bloflbm, as I have obferved by fmut , and I do 

 not recoUedt ever to have feen it grow amongfl: any 

 wheat but the old Kentifh brown, of which there is 

 now very litde fown in this part of Kent, I fhall 

 leave the field open for other opinions, by only 

 faying, it may pofTibly be produced in this manner, 

 or be a difeafe, as I have obferved in the laft vo- 

 lume of Young*s annals. 



It is fufHcient for the farmer to know the fa6b, 

 that fmut is generally produced by fmut; at leaft 

 that it can be fo produced -, but how that is effedled, 

 we mull leave to Lewenhoc, and other nice ob- 

 fervers of the works of nature j* for whether, as I 



• See the contrary opiiuons maintained by the writ«r alluded to 

 JH a following paper, 



have 



